Considerable difficulty can be encountered when lowering a conventional mainsail from its raised position to its furled position on a boom. The sail tends to flap and spills over both sides of the boom blocking the helmsman's vision. Several gasket fasteners must be secured around the sail and the boom after the sail has been lowered. The furling and securing operation requires several crewmen where a large mainsail is employed. The sail furling and securing process is particularly difficult under rough weather conditions. It has heretofore been proposed to provide a loose-footed furling mainsail to facilitate handling of such sail. Furling mainsails, however, are not as efficient as conventionally mounted mainsails, especially when the sailboat is going to weather. Additionally, the cost of furling mainsail systems is relatively high. It has also been proposed to retract the mainsail into the mast. Such system is also comparatively expensive and is prone to be unreliable.